Council branded 'institutionally racist' over Mela snub

A COUNCILLOR has branded the council's decision to refuse to hold the Mega Mela in the town centre as 'institutional racism'. The multi-cultural festival was called off at the eleventh hour after organisers at the Multi-cultural Arts and Media Centre were unable to come to a compromise with Rochdale Council over a hefty deposit.

A COUNCILLOR has branded the council's decision to refuse to hold the Mega Mela in the town centre as 'institutional racism'.

The multi-cultural festival was called off at the eleventh hour after organisers at the Multi-cultural Arts and Media Centre were unable to come to a compromise with Rochdale Council over a hefty deposit.

But Councillor Robin Parker hit out at Wednesday's meeting of the full council, claiming the cancellation was down to concerns over security.

He said: "The success of the Feel Good Festival was superb, if it's possible to secure an event like that then it's also possible to secure the Mega Mela.

"I believe that we are at risk of moving to a borough that could be accused of institutional racism."

Councillors at the meetings fiercely denied these claims and Councillor Peter Evans said: "There isn't a problem in Rochdale, period."

The organisers of the annual Mega Mela are meeting with council officials next week in a bid to resolve the dispute.

Rochdale's Labour parliamentary candidate Simon Danczuk is calling on the council to swiftly resolve any differences in order to secure the Mela's future.

He said: "The cancellation of this year's Mega Mela festival will have cost our local economy dearly. I'm not happy that we're already losing thousands of shoppers to Bury and I don't want to see us losing our festivals as well."

The festival has been running for 14 years in Rochdale and attracted over 7,000 visitors last year.

Councillor Farooq Ahmed said: "Festivals are a great opportunity to showcase what's good about Rochdale and they play a very important role in promoting civic pride, bringing communities together and supporting our local economy."

A spokesman for the Multi-cultural Arts and Media Centre, in Drake Street, said the Mega Mela is a celebratory event for the entire community.

He said: "For 13 years we have worked extremely hard in the borough. We are very proud of our town and its cultural heritage, which we cannot afford to lose. We are meeting the council officers next week to seek a positive way forward."

Andy Zuntz, executive director at Rochdale Council, said: "It is unfortunate that this event has been cancelled despite all our best efforts to make sure that robust plans and arrangements were put in place to ensure its success.

"However, the event organisers decided to withdraw their application because of their inability to a place a deposit with the council which is deeply regrettable. A deposit needed to be taken as protection against any potential damage caused to the park and would have been refunded if it was not required."